SOUTH PORTLAND – Jim Williams, a late-blooming Cape Elizabeth artist who paints bold and colorful images of black Labrador retrievers, has opened a new studio and gallery in the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland.

On Aug. 28, Williams, owner of Mainely Labs Studio, held a grand opening reception at his new location at 81 Ocean St. after about a year of searching for a new space. He and his wife, and their black lab, Pirate, welcomed dozens of local visitors, many of whom brought their own dogs to the studio.

Calling his art “Lab Art,” Williams began painting about 10 years ago and opened Mainely Labs Studio on the second floor of the Congress Building in Portland in 2005. In 2008, he partnered with Portland photographer Jeff Swanson to open Two Paths Gallery in that same building, but on the street level.

“Then we moved to Market Street in the Old Port a couple years ago and were there for a year and a half,” said Williams.

In November 2013, Two Paths Gallery closed. While he searched for a new studio space, Williams said he had to keep his artwork and supplies in storage. But then he discovered the perfect spot in Knightville.

“I was very excited about it because the neighborhood has a real up-and-coming artsy feel to it,” said Williams. The Knightville neighborhood, which is becoming a bustling attraction full of artistic activity, is referred to as “SoHo of SoPo,” he said.

For his “Lab Art,” Williams uses acrylic paint on canvas to create colorful and bold paintings of black Labrador retrievers. In his images, he tries to capture the essence of the dogs – how they sit, how they stand, how they run. And each of his paintings is distinct.

“They are the No. 1 dog in the country in terms of ownership,” said Williams.

Rather than sharing a space, like he has in the past, Williams is looking forward to being able to showcase all of his own artwork. Anyone who is familiar with his work knows that it’s “very colorful,” he said.

“It sort of jumps right out at you,” he said.

Along with paintings, Williams also sells prints, greeting cards and merchandise showcasing his Lab Art.

Renee Karickhoff, a Knightville resident who attended the grand opening reception last Thursday, said she has visited Williams’ other locations before, and she was glad to see Mainely Labs join the neighborhood. Karickhoff had a long-lived Labrador retriever of her own, named Puff, who died at age 15.

Of the new location, she said, “I think it’s awesome. It’s a fun little growing community.”

When it comes to Williams’ Lab Art, “I think he has a good eye,” Karickhoff said.

Another resident, Lori Furey, who also lives in South Portland and has a chocolate lab named Moby, said she was excited to check out Williams’ new studio and see what it has to offer.

“It’s cheerful,” she said, of his colorful Lab Art. “When you walk into the room, how can you not be happy?”

Before becoming an artist, Williams had a 22-year career in human resources, most recently for L.L. Bean in Freeport. Along with owning Mainely Labs Studio, Williams also works full time managing the Planet Dog store in Portland.

Now that he has opened his gallery in South Portland, however, he plans to transition out of that job to focus more on his art.

One day, Williams became inspired to take an art course at Maine College of Art in Portland, and it was there that he discovered his passion for painting, he said.

Mattie, Williams’ 11-year-old black lab that passed away about 10 years ago, was the real inspiration for his work, he said.

“Mattie died unexpectedly on a camping trip and it was very traumatic for me,” Williams said. “It was only a year or so before that that I had painted for the first time in my life,” he said.

“When Mattie died, I thought, ‘someday I will do a painting of her. So I did, and I liked it, and then I started doing other versions of labs.”

At the time, he “never dreamed for a moment” that he would open his own art studio, he said.

“I started painting a series of labs. Nine years later the series has never stopped. I just keep on cranking them out,” Williams said. “It’s my niche.”

Jim Williams is the artist and owner of Mainely Labs Studio, which opened in the Knightville neighborhood of South Portland last week.  Pirate, a black Labrador retriever, owned by artist Jim Williams of Cape Elizabeth, lies on the floor of William’s new art studio, Mainely Labs, in South Portland. 

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